Note to reporters: To request for photos from the exhibition, please contact the Public Affairs office at Cal State L.A., 323-343-3050.
A tribute to gun violence survivors
‘Wounded in America’ exhibition at Cal State L.A. through Dec. 6
Los Angeles, CA – According to the National Crime Victimization Survey in 2005, 477,040 victims of violent crimes stated that they faced an offender with a firearm. According to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, more than 80 Americans die from gun violence daily.
Through photographs and personal narratives, the Cal State L.A. exhibition, “Wounded in America”—the work of Chicago photographer Robert Drea and writer Stephanie Arena—tells the powerful stories of more than 40 gun violence survivors. The traveling exhibition is on display now through Dec. 6 at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, on the Cal State L.A. campus.
Described in their own words, the survivors across the United States contributed their first-hand experiences during tape-recorded interviews. Excerpts of some audio segments can be heard at http://woundedinamerica.org/. The portraits of the participants were taken at the scene of the shooting incident whenever it was possible.
“Wounded in America” aims to document the histories and portraits of gun violence survivors, in order that viewers and readers can learn from the tragic incidents. It’s a humanitarian call to end gun violence.
University Librarian Alice Kawakami said, “One of the most compelling issues surrounding this exhibit is the fact that the survivors and their stories are so diverse.”
The exhibition is hosted by the University Library and the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State L.A. The Los Angeles exhibit of “Wounded in America” is funded in part by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF). Created in 1992 as an independent, private foundation, TCWF’s mission is to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention.
For more information, contact the University Library at 323-343-3988 or the Pat Brown Institute at 323-343-3770.
Calendar listing:
Event: Wounded in America – Stories of Gun Violence Survivors. (Free to the public)
Time: Ongoing through Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008. Open during library hours.
Place: John F. Kennedy Memorial Library, on the Cal State L.A. campus. The University is located at the Eastern Avenue exit of the San Bernardino (10) freeway, at the intersection of the 10 and 710 freeways.
Parking: Permit dispenser parking in upper level of Parking Structure C.
Information: Call the University Library at 323-343-3988 or the Pat Brown Institute at 323-343-3770.
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 205,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu